美國 – Helios Education

【大學簡介】美國最佳文理學院

Helios — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 06:01:43 +0000

文理學院——傳統大學外的選擇

美國向來是國際學生留學的集中地，想要躋身於一所優質院所亦非易事。要獲得取錄信，學生除了要有優異的高中紀錄，還要有出色的學術測驗成績。

聽起來，一封名校取錄信似是難若登天，但文理學院比起傳統的綜合型大學卻較易進入。例如全美排名第一的綜合型大學——普林斯頓大學(2022全美大學排名)的錄取率只有6%，但全美排名第一的文理學院——威廉姆斯學院則有近15%的錄取率，是綜合型大學的將近三倍之多。

文理學院絕不是二流學院。事實上，不少貴族子弟亦會將文理學院作為升學選擇，以提升個人涵養及擴闊人際網路為目標。因此，文理學院並沒有建築、會計系等職業為本的學科，反而是以物理、生物、政經系等基礎學科為主。規模方面，每所文理學院約有2000-4000名學生。而一年學費則為5萬美金左右。

那麼，究竟最好的文理學院有哪些？

我們整合了排名資料，根據2022美國文理學院排名，排名前五的學院如下：

威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)，SAT 要求分數 1410 至 1560，最新錄取率約為 15%。
阿默斯特學院 (Amherst College)，SAT 要求分數 1410 至 1550，最新錄取率約為 12%。
斯沃斯莫爾學院 (Swarthmore College)，SAT 要求分數 1395 至 1540，最新錄取率約為 9%。
波莫納學院 (Pomona College)，SAT 要求分數 1390 至 1540，最新錄取率約為 9%。
威爾斯利學院 (Wellesley College)，SAT 要求分數 1350 至 1520，最新錄取率約為 20%。

文理學院不是大學，認受性一定很差？

並不是，這絕對是我們對於學院一稱的誤解。事實上，不少世界一流名校也被稱為學院，例如麻省理工學院、加州理工學院等。

文理學院在認受性方面絕不遜於綜合性大學，亦出產不少名人，例如美國前國務卿希拉里、美國開國元首班傑明·富蘭克林·巴特勒、著名歌星王力宏等均曾於文理學院就讀。至於在文理學院完成學業的畢業生，進修碩士的比例甚至勝於哈佛耶魯等傳統名校。歸根究底，皆因文理學院本著通才教育、小班教學的原則，使得學生對學習有著源源不絕的興趣。

冷知識：美國東北部頂尖的14所文理學院更有著「小常春藤(Littlevies)」之稱！

就讀文理學院有什麼優勝之處？

文理學院適合希望留美發展的學生就讀，這類學院在美國本土的聲望很高，能讓學生在美國較佳的發展。
由於文理學院學生人數較少，教學模式較傾向討論多於教授。因此，同學有更多機會能與教授及同學進行交流。
同學於文理學院申請獎學金、助學金等會較易獲批，因文理學院較常為學生提供慷慨的經濟支援。

Helios 可以怎樣幫我？

無論你希望子女在求學路上有更充足的資源，或是不希望再為學費憂心，Helios Education 的獎學金申請服務皆可為你解決煩憂。另外，我們亦有入學諮詢、模擬面/考試、實習配對等全方位服務，助你的子女增加躋身名校的機會。

【升學及就業】常春藤畢業生的就業前景如何？

Helios — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 03:21:37 +0000

Is it correct to say that "Arts is only a plan B for poor grades and defective prospects"?

There is a common perception that arts are not a 'cash-cow' subject, while hot trending subjects such as medicine, technology, law and engineering are more 'lucrative'. However, in the Ivy League world, any subject can be a 'gold-sucking' subject.

As one of the world's leading universities, the Ivy League is still very competitive in the arts, and is no less competitive than the 'divine' subjects offered by ordinary universities.

For example, graduates from Brown University, one of the Ivy League universities, earn an average annual salary of around US$70,000 for their studies in Foreign Languages and Literature, English Language and Literature, Philosophy and Religious Studies and History, among other traditional liberal arts. This compares to about US$40,000 per year for graduates of equivalent disciplines at other US universities.

In fact, many of the world's most famous people came from Ivy League arts backgrounds, such as the fabulous Emma Watson in Harry Potter and some of the presidents of the United States over the years.

Graduates in medicine, science, law and engineering are sure to have a successful career, but what about business, which has a "money" future?

According to the employment data released by Ivy League universities in recent years, the average annual salary of business graduates from Ivy League universities is around US$150,000. When converted into Hong Kong dollars, most business students earn over a million dollars a year! With such attractive starting salaries, what about salary growth?

According to a Financial Times study of Ivy League business school students, many graduates who have pursued a Master of Business Administration degree have seen their salaries increase by an average of 110%, meaning more than double the annual salary mentioned above.

In the Forbes list of the world's richest people, 33 of the top 100 are from the United States and 30% of them have a business school background, with more than half of them coming from the Ivy League. One of the most familiar names on the list must be Elon Musk, the president of Tesla and the modern-day 'Iron Man'.

Finance and consulting - the most popular industries for Ivy League business students

The study also shows that more than half of Ivy League students pursue careers in finance and consulting after graduation for reasons such as attractive salaries, clear career paths and generous benefits.

Salary figures for these two sectors are as follows: consulting (with a median salary of approximately US$147,000) and finance (with a median salary of approximately US$125,000). In addition, employment in other sectors was not far behind, with business graduates earning a median salary of US$90,600 in areas such as technology, consumer goods, real estate, media and entertainment, and retail.

Ivy - World Class Choice

As far-sighted parents, those who can afford it will pay for their children to attend the world's best schools. If your family has limited financial resources, but your child is lucky enough to be admitted to an Ivy League school, you will be sure to save your child's tuition fees. There is no need to worry about tuition fees, as there are plenty of scholarships available from various institutions once a student has been accepted.

How can Helios help me?

Whether you want your child to have more resources to pursue their studies or you no longer want to worry about tuition fees, Helios Education's scholarship application service can help you to solve your worries. In addition, we offer a full range of services including admissions advice, mock interviews/exams and placement matches to help your child increase their chances of getting into a top school.

【入學文章】怎樣才能寫好美國 Common App 入學文章？

Helios — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 04:31:11 +0000

Most students apply to U.S. universities via the Common App, which requires a 650-word essay (submitted to most universities), for example, for the 2021/22 academic year, and requires students to answer one of the following seven questions.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

In addition, each US university will have an additional Supplementary Essay(s), ranging from one to five essays per university. If you apply to more than one US university at the same time, you will have to write dozens of essays totalling nearly or even more than 10,000 words. As you can see from the seven examples above, American universities place more emphasis on personal stories and growth than on academic discussions or bragging about activities they have participated in, in line with their focus on whole-person development.

This type of essay is also confusing for many students. When preparing your essay for admission to the United States, students should be aware of the following points.

Once you have selected the U.S. universities you are interested in, you must first find out if all of them can apply through the Common App. For example, UC California has a separate application system; the University of Washington and Texas at Austin can only apply through the Coalition App. These universities will also increase the time to prepare and fill out the forms, so think carefully before deciding.

Think about your own story: Students can start by thinking back to when they were a child and what memorable or meaningful people and events they have experienced in their life. It is a good idea to write them all out in a list and write about the impact they had on you to plan your essay story with half the effort. This is especially true for colleges that require multiple admissions essays, where numerous stories or perspectives can be used to express your characteristics.

Understand your personality and personal traits/charisma: When the admissions department looks at your admissions essay, they want to know more about your personal traits and charisma than about your academic achievements (because they can already tell from your transcripts and SAT/ACT scores). Students may want to talk to their friends, teachers, and family to find out who you are from their perspective, and to think about your personality and how you treat people when you are alone. You should keep reminding yourself to express yourself sincerely when writing essays, and not to be a "prude".

There is no need to force an infrequent topic or theme: Although American University emphasises creativity, it does not mean that your essay must be absolutely "unique" and not similar to others. Many students force themselves to write about highly odd or offbeat topics, which may not resonate with the admissions officers and may even be challenging to identify with. A common issue or storyline will have the best effect paired with your own "voice" and in-depth thought process.

No show-off: Unlike the Hong Kong admissions essay, students do not need to add their extracurricular activities or competition awards to the U.S. essay. This is because there are other sections in the application system, whether it is the Common App, Coalition App, or UC, where students can list activities or competitions they have participated in. Unless the essay title states that you need to expand on the benefits of an extracurricular activity, or that the activity you participated in has a strong connection to your growth story, you should avoid repeating it in your essay, as it will not only waste words, but will also be abrupt.

There is no need to force your way to the word limit: Each U.S. Admissions article has a word limit, ranging from 50 to 1000 words. If you are sure that there is no more room for revision, you do not need to force your essay to reach the maximum word limit, otherwise some paragraphs will be too long. Generally speaking, essays of 80-100% of the word limit are appropriate and students should not be overly concerned about the length of their essays.

Seek multiple opinions and allow plenty of time: Once students have written their admissions essays, it is advisable to send them to as many people as possible to see if your essay resonates with the majority of people or if a certain number of readers will read it and comment negatively on your character and behavior. Students should also expect to have to significantly revise or even rewrite their essays several times in order to meet U.S. admissions standards.

In general, it is not easy to write multiple essays for admission to the United States at the same time, so it is time for Form 4 to Form 6 students to start preparing and to plan early for the remaining preparation time. If you have any other questions or are confused about your essay, please feel free to contact Helios Education's Admissions Advisory Team for the most professional and personalized advice to help you gain admission to a prestigious university.

【大學簡介】哈佛史丹福有幾難入？

Helios — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 04:52:16 +0000

How difficult is it to get into Harvard and Stanford?

Harvard - America's most prestigious university

When it comes to prestigious universities in the United States, the first institution that comes to mind is likely to be Harvard University. According to the 2020 QS Ranking, Harvard University is ranked fifth in the world, just behind top schools such as MIT and Oxbridge. As an all-around university, Harvard is ranked No. 1 in the world for accounting, biosciences, business management, environmental studies, and history in 2022!

Harvard University is located in the Boston area, which is known as the "Education Capital of the United States". The Boston metropolitan area is full of prestigious schools, including Harvard University, MIT, Tufts University, Boston University, Northeastern University, etc., but the most familiar one is Harvard University.

Harvard is also the alma mater of many of the world's most famous people, such as former U.S. President Barack Obama, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and even Facebook founder Michael Jukeberg, who were all Harvard students. According to Niche 2022, Harvard's admissions rate is only 5%, meaning that only five out of 100 applicants are accepted, which is one in a hundred.

Stanford - Tougher to get into than Harvard?

Harvard's admission rate of only 5%, but according to Niche 2022, Stanford in the same year more difficult than Harvard to get admitted, only 4% admission rate, is the most difficult to enter the United States! But previously it was Harvard than Stanford difficult to enter, which is believed to be the reason for the Harvard ranking fell slightly, by Stanford overtaking the former cause. Stanford University in 2022 QS Ranking in the world ranked third, after MIT and Oxford University, is one of the most sought-after schools in the world.

As one of the world's most prestigious schools, Stanford is also home to many of the world's most famous people, including the founders of Google, Yahoo and Nike, all of whom have been guests of Stanford. It is clear that in addition to academic achievement, extracurricular experiences are also a key focus of Stanford's admissions.

Does a DSE failure meaning no chance of getting into a top school?

The answer is absolutely "no"! As long as you have the right strategy, a personal statement and extracurricular experiences that meet the taste of universities, you can be one of them!

Worried about the expensive tuition fees of prestigious universities, even if you are accepted, you cannot afford it? There are many scholarships for prestigious universities in Hong Kong, some of which are fully subsidized, and we will take care of the scholarship application process so that you can be truly worry-free on your way to higher education!